recourse
[ ree-kawrs, -kohrs, ri-kawrs, -kohrs ]
/ ˈri kɔrs, -koʊrs, rɪˈkɔrs, -ˈkoʊrs /
Save This Word!
noun
access or resort to a person or thing for help or protection: to have recourse to the courts for justice.
a person or thing resorted to for help or protection.
the right to collect from a maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument. The endorser may add the words “without recourse” on the instrument, thereby transferring the instrument without assuming any liability.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Origin of recourse
1350–1400; Middle English recours<Old French <Late Latin recursus,Latin: return, retreat, noun use of past participle of recurrere to run back; see recur
Words nearby recourse
record player, reco-reco, recount, recountal, recoup, recourse, recover, recoverable, recoverable error, recovered memory, recovery
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for recourse
British Dictionary definitions for recourse
recourse
/ (rɪˈkɔːs) /
noun
the act of resorting to a person, course of action, etc, in difficulty or danger (esp in the phrase have recourse to)
a person, organization, or course of action that is turned to for help, protection, etc
the right to demand payment, esp from the drawer or endorser of a bill of exchange or other negotiable instrument when the person accepting it fails to pay
without recourse a qualified endorsement on such a negotiable instrument, by which the endorser protects himself or herself from liability to subsequent holders
Word Origin for recourse
C14: from Old French recours, from Late Latin recursus a running back, from re- + currere to run
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012